The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-06-09
ON THE WAY HOME.
a soIiloquy by Farmer stackpoIe.

paper says he's putin in the Bourbont
at great rate. Somehow 1 don't like
that paper as [ used to. It don't seem
to tell the whole truth an nothin' but
the truth, rs 1 used to suppose it did. j
was i'll at neighbor Straight's an picked
up paper called the Voice that had O
heap of news in it'that / never found in
my Republican papers. intend to hear
both sides of these things after this.
Well, voted for Blaine, after all my
leanin's to st. John. Fact, they sort OF
bull-dozed me wQen got to the polls.
There was Elder Grand met mo on the
street. 81 do hope," says he, "that you
won cast half vote for such q moral
leper as Cleveland. The great issue in
this campaign is moral purity, and every
Christian man should vote for Blaine
An then come the Squire. ''I tell you
said he, "Cleveland is q man Of no
capacity whatever, no experience in pub
lie affairs. He'll tust be the tool of the
worst elements of his party. Havo you
seen what the ministers of Chicago say
about?" An then he took the tobacco
out OF his mouth an read somethin' like
this: "Resolved, That for the sake of
the South, for the sake of this country,
Tor the sake Of temperance and Prohibi-
ton, for the sake of the family and the
reform against Eolygamy, the election of
jas. &. Blaine is tho necessity of the
hour: "Excuse me mint" says he,
and he started off TO catch saloon
keeper who was coming along. He
talked with him for about five minits an
then handed him something in the Tri-
bune to read, and then come back to me.
".Here's another" says he, "of these
opinions of the clergy that every Chris
tlan man ought to read before votin' for
such id fraud as st. John. Ex-
cuse me, deacon, 1 don't often swear,
but the hypocracy Of these fellers what
is dis9racin' tho cause Of temperance
makes me mad" So he pulled out q
paper an read stripG of resolutions 10y
the clergy of New York. One of 'em
was, "not to cast half-vote for the
Democratic party with the semi-sanction
OF 1mpurlty and dissipation, nor q whole
vote for man whose name is now tho
conspicuous synonym of incapacity and
incontinency." Then he began readin'
Burchard's speech, but Just as he got to
the last end of it the saloon-kceper come
over whore we was standin' and says,
THAT is very satisfactory, and he took a
Republican ticket an went on to the
polls. AS soon as he was out of hearing
the Squile went on with Burchard's S
speech, an La put q good emphasis on
the "Rum, Homanism and Rebellion"
These things had sort of staggered me
when good old General Easy como along.
Bless his gray beard! We all know he
was true man in Congress, and he
seems like every mans friend. "Dea,
con" says he, "Pm very anxious about
this election. There's the brass factory
over at the river shut down, not to re-
sumo unless Blaine is elected. And here
is the bunker Democracy lust reachin'
after the spoils. If they get in where
will we be? What will become of Civil
Service Reform? And tell you if the
Democrats get in I should not be sur
prsed If they repealed all the laws
against polygamy, and just let Utah into
the Union, Mormons and ALL" There
was no doubt the good old man believed
what he was sayin' "And as for tenn
porance," he went on, "you know l am
a true temperance man. st. John
couldn't help the cause if he was elected,
and he can't possibly be elected, for the
majority of true temperance men arc
against him. After election / will 90
over this county myself an speak on
temperance, and VIC will put up first
rate candidate for the State Legislature. !"
Steady, old mare, over this new road.
Well, sir, my resolution just oozed out
with oil this talk. l forgot everything
bnt tho incapacity and wiokedncss of
Cleveland and the Democrats, and the
anxiety of good men for Blaine's eicc-
tlon, and L brushed past young Straight
who had the Prohibition tickets, though
L couldn't help admiring his grit, and
grace, too, for | knew he was doing his
Christian duty brushed past him and
putt in my ballot for Blaine.
Pm afraid that ballot was throwcd
away. Cleveland's incapacity amt as
conspicuous as L expected it would be.
The brass works assumed about q week
after cleotiOn-thero's the smoke Of 'em
now. And as for the Mormons and the
fellors what was crowdin' out the In
dians, they seem to be skipping and
clearing out more than ever before. I'm
afraid those good men what / followed
was party-blind themselves. Not that |
believe III the Democrats as q party.
Why, Ncighbor Crook, who's been n
Democrat always, has come out since
election, and says he can't stand his
party any longer, now he secs better
place to go to, and jincd the Prohibi-
tionists. The Democrats is bad, but not
so bad as whiskoy- The Republicans
may better, but they are not GOOD
enough to suit me. If they had done
their duty this temperance question
would not be SO big as it is today.
Well, when I got homo wife says,
"Hurrah for ST. john" an was kinder
shamod to tell her who L voted for, SO
edged around and told her what the men
on the street told me. My stars! didn't
her eyes begin to snap! Sho just fired
up and swept away their arguments like
so many cobwebs. "Who are the hopo-
critics, " says she, "thc honest mon who
vote for what they believe to be right,
or politicians, like the Squire, who say
one filing to the saloonists, and another
to the temperance men, and get 'em both
to vote the same tickGt?"
Whoa! say. jim! jim! Como and
put out the marc.-The Voice.
Railroading I'm Mexico.